Authors: Camilo Jaimes Michael S Gee
Publish Date: 2016/05/26
Volume: 46, Issue: 6, Pages: 916-927
Abstract
The high softtissue contrast of MRI and the absence of ionizing radiation make it a valuable tool for assessment of body pathology in children Infants and young children are often unable to cooperate with awake MRI so sedation or general anesthesia might be required However given recent data on the costs and potential risks of anesthesia in young children there is a need to try to decrease or avoid sedation in this population when possible Child life specialists in radiology frequently use behavioral techniques and audiovisual support devices and they practice with children and families using mock scanners to improve child compliance with MRI Optimization of the MR scanner environment is also important to create a childfriendly space If the child can remain inside the MRI scanner a variety of emerging techniques can reduce the effect of involuntary motion Using sequences with short acquisition times such as singleshot fast spin echo and volumetric gradient echo can decrease artifacts and improve image quality Breathholding respiratory triggering and signal averaging all reduce respiratory motion Emerging techniques such as radial and multislice kspace acquisition navigator motion correction as well as parallel imaging and compressed sensing reconstruction methods can further accelerate acquisition and decrease motion Collaboration among radiologists anesthesiologists technologists child life specialists and families is crucial for successful performance of MRI in young children
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